Abstract

Identity checks are controversial in Belgium. Allegations that police have engaged in racial profiling practices have led to protests in some major cities and conflict between the police and young people with minority backgrounds. Academic research into citizens’ experiences with ID checks by the police is both dated and scarce in Belgium. Existing studies show that citizens, especially those of North African origin and Roma heritage, report being both over-policed and treated disrespectfully by the police. This article presents a state of the art about citizens’ experiences with identity checks in Belgium, presents findings of two studies on youngsters’ experiences with stop and search, and casts an analytical eye over the strengths and weaknesses of the extant scholarship. We theorize that repeated exposure to police encounters, where youngsters feel compelled to submit to police authority to expedite the process, results in a state of learned submissiveness (following Seligman’s concept of learned helplessness). This state is characterized by a sense of powerlessness, coerced compliance, and a diminished willingness to challenge police actions. We call for more research into how urban youth perceive the strained relationship with police and its impact on their self-constructed identities.